TikTok may be the social media site that has taken the world by storm in recent years, drawing the ire of the US government in the process, but there’s more to the app than dance memes and music artists emerging. It also has its own store selling a huge range of products from fashion to gadgets to consumables.
Here’s what you need to know about purchasing products from the TikTok store and whether they’re safe to use.
What is the TikTok store?
Launching in the United States in September 2023 (after testing in other regions), the TikTok Shop allows users to purchase products featured in videos from their favorite creators, as well as general items curated in the store .
This gives creators a chance to be financially rewarded for their work, as well as collaborate with manufacturers who want to promote their products to a relevant audience.
The idea is to make it easier to buy something you see in a video and think, “I want that.”
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
From a product perspective, the TikTok store looks like something between Temu and Amazon. There’s a wide range of things you can buy, from high-end brands to obscure (presumably Chinese) factories that make homage versions of other items.
It will be interesting to see how the TikTok store performs, as similar attempts were made by Instagram and Facebook, both of which failed and were abandoned.
Is the TikTok store safe to use?
Like Temu and Amazon, TikTok has opened its store to a wide variety of merchants, but all transactions are handled through TikTok and secure third-party partners, so you should be able to shop with confidence.
TikTok has a standard return/refund policy, which allows users to request a return within 30 days if the item they received does not match its listing or is incorrect. You can also follow this procedure if an item does not arrive.
Sellers are expected to adhere to a fairly rigorous set of standards and practices when it comes to what they can and cannot sell, making the whole system as robust as the other sites mentioned above.
To test the experiment, we sent two crack investigators to the TikTok store to order products and see if they arrived.
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Both had positive experiences, with Reviews Editor Chris Martin purchasing a Game Boy-style handheld console called the Anbernic RG35XX (below), which came with a TF card containing over 5,000 classic games, all for around £12/$15. This was a very tempting new customer offer with an RRP of over £50/$50.
Our editor Jim Martin also ordered the same device and both were happy to see them arrive safely and play games perfectly (this is the device, not Jim and Chris, that they need to s ‘train).
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Additionally, Chris ordered 24 cans of Coca-Cola for the princely sum of £7.25 (about $9), which came with free delivery. The cans then arrived from an online payment company based in Scotland and were found to be authentic, with just the language in Danish, as the cans were listed as EU.
Jim also ordered a box of American style sweets which only cost £3 ($4) and his daughter was very happy to see them arrive quickly and exactly as described.
Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Granted, this is a small sample, but at no point did Chris or Jim indicate that they were journalists, and all articles were sent to their home addresses in different parts of the country. So this seems like a completely normal experience for potential buyers.
One thing to watch out for in terms of delivery times, as with Amazon, is whether the item is shipped through TikTok or directly from the manufacturer. The latter just means you may have to wait a little longer if it’s coming from further away.
How to buy things on TikTok?
Unsurprisingly, it’s very simple. All you need to do is have a TikTok account and a payment method set up in the app or simply do it at checkout.
Then you can either go directly to the store via the icon at the bottom of the TikTok app, or look for Buy Here links in the videos you watch.
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Then, simply add the item to your cart, make payment, and hopefully it won’t be long before you enjoy the fruits of your retail labor.
